Rail station access by bicycle: a case study in Melbourne Victoria

Public transport patronage levels are increasing worldwide, driven by a multitude of factors. In Melbourne, Australia a similar story is playing out with 235 million passenger trips serviced by the rail network in the 2016 financial year. This represents an annual growth of 1.6%. With increasing demand for public transport services an issue that will have to be addressed is the feasibility of providing adequate infrastructure capacity for station access modes, particularly by car. A cost effective solution is to encourage the use of the bicycle for the ‘first mile’ link. However, to promote cycling as a station access mode, a better understanding of the current bike and ride ‘ecosystem’ is needed. This research¹ aims to address this knowledge gap by exploring the demographic, built environment and station characteristics in Melbourne and how they play a role in the rates of bicycle access to stations. Findings show that a lack of cycling infrastructure leading to the station, connectivity issues with existing cycling infrastructure and adverse terrain may make it difficult for commuters to cycle to the station. However, the provision of secure bicycle parking facilities and underlying demographics characteristics of the residents around stations is an encouraging sign in promoting mode shift to the bicycle.